Theatre of Tragedy is a goth metal Norwegian band from Stavanger, originally assembled in 1993. They are considered the main developers of the Scandinavian goth metal scene. The band makes use of contrasting vocals - male death grunts and female soprano singing - and lyrics written in old English.
Biography
Theatre of Tragedy begun when drummer Hein Frode Hansen quit his former band Phobia in 1993 and started looking for a new musical project to play in. A friend of his who worked on a record store told him that a band called Suffering Grief was looking for a new drummer, and after entering in contact with them, he joined the band. At the time, Suffering Grief was composed by vocalist Raymond István, keyboard player Lorentz Aspen and guitarist "Tommy". No bassist had joined the band yet, but "Eirik" had agreed to play with them in live concerts.After finding a rehearsal place, the band decided to work upon a couple of piano arrangements composed by Lorentz. The vocals, at the time, were mostly entirely composed by raw death grunts.
After composing their first song, Lament of the Perishing Roses, the band changed its name to Le Reine Noir and then to Theatre of Tragedy. They subsequently invited singer Liv Kristine to do female vocals for one song, but ended up inviting her to join the band permanently, after seeing that the combination had worked well.
In 1994, their first studio demo was recorded, and in 1995, the debut album Theatre of Tragedy was released.
In 2003, Liv Kristine departed the band in order to pursue her solo career with Leaves' Eyes. Female singer "Nell" joined the band to replace her on the following year.